“Tortured Poets” which spent a record breaking 12 weeks atop the billboard 200 weekly chart earned 4.66 million equivalent album units or traditional album sales combined with track sales and streaming metrics, in the first half of 2024, beating out the rest of that U.S top 10 list by nearly 3 million units.
TTPD is the most streamed LP so far holding over 500 million streams. The Tortured Poets Department has sold more copies than any album this year and it is not particularly close according to information from Luminate midyear report.
In the first half of 2024, Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” sold 2.474 million copies, leading the sales chart. Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” came in second with approximately 306,000 copies sold, followed by Beyonce’s “Cowboy Cartr” in third with about 257,000 sales. The rest of the Top 10 included four more Taylor Swift albums, along with Tomorrow X Together’s “Minisode 3: Tomorrow,” which ranked sixth. Together, these albums totaled about 1.924 million units, roughly half a million less than “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Some of the album’s success can be credited to the numerous versions of “The Tortured Poets Department” Taylor Swift has put out, totaling more than thirty-six. Swift has faced criticism from some online critics and dedicated fans who argue that releasing so many versions exploit her loyal fan base or is a calculated strategy to prevent other albums from reaching the top spot on the charts.
Luminate’s report on Tuesday emphasized the growing popularity of various physical album versions, noting that this trend began to gain traction approximately four years ago. Among the top 10 best-selling physical albums of the year so far, there were approximately seven different vinyl editions, 13 CDs, and two cassettes. Earlier this year, Eilish criticized this practice as “wasteful” in an interview with Billboard. Swift’s fanbase reacted strongly to Eilish’s statement, prompting Eilish to clarify that she wasn’t targeting any specific artist but rather highlighting the overall strategy in the industry. “When it comes to variants, so many artists release them including me which i clearly state in the article”, she said.
While Taylor Swift commands impressive sales, her latest album is also a streaming behemoth.
Taylor Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” has not only dominated sales charts with its various versions but has also sparked discussions about the strategy of releasing multiple editions. While critics like Billie Eilish have raised concerns about the environmental impact and fairness in charting practices, Swift’s dedicated fanbase has defended her approach. As the music industry continues to evolve, the debate over album variants and their impact on sales and chart rankings is likely to remain a hot topic among artists, critics, and fans alike.
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